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Overview: At every stage of dementia, people with the condition are at risk for both missing incidents, in which they are unattended and unable to navigate a safe return to their caregiver, and “wandering,” a term often used to describe repetitive locomotion with patterns such as lapping or pacing. By understanding the differences between these two phenomena, nurses can teach caregivers how to anticipate and prevent missing incidents, which are not necessarily related to wandering. The authors differentiate missing incidents from wandering, describe personal characteristics that may influence the outcomes in missing incidents, and suggest strategies for preventing and responding to missing incidents.

The authors differentiate missing incidents from wandering in patients with dementia and suggest strategies for preventing and responding to missing incidents.

Meredeth A. Rowe is a professor and the Lewis and Leona Hughes Endowed Chair in Nursing Science at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing, Tampa. Catherine A. Greenblum was a postdoctoral scholar at the USF College of Nursing when this manuscript was written; she is now family NP at Jesse S. Greenblum, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, in Fernandina Beach, FL. Rita F. D'Aoust is an associate dean for academic affairs and director for interprofessional initiatives at the USF College of Nursing. Contact author: Meredeth A. Rowe, mrowe1@health.usf.edu. Meredeth A. Rowe owns equity in CaregiverWatch, a company that manufactures monitoring systems for caregivers, which are discussed in this article. The other authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. AJN's peer review process has determined this article to be objective and free of commercial bias.